


All Encompassing

by hazellepotter



Series: Marked [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Canon Divergence, Denial of Feelings, Developing Relationship, F/M, Love, Romance, bond, soul-mate, soul-mate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-11-21 07:54:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11353125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazellepotter/pseuds/hazellepotter
Summary: He saw the tears behind her eyes, but she didn’t drop his gaze. Malfoy wanted to scream because the pain was excruciating, but he didn’t. No one needed to know, because nothing was going to become of this. She made it clear with her silence that she wanted to keep it a secret, too.





	All Encompassing

The first thing Hermione read when she found out she was a witch was a book on soul-mates. It was the one she was drawn to when she faced her first wizarding bookshelf in Flourish and Blotts. She found the theory that wizards had one true love _laughable_ at first, until she let her secret sappy romantic heart take over. It gave her something to look forward to, it gave her hope for a connection she always yearned for.

_She had spent most of her life feeling so misunderstood, would this be the answer? Would it really be like finding her other half? What would her mark look like? Would it actually happen, or was it truly just a theory?_

It was amazing to her that when you touched your soul-mate for the first time, you went through an excruciatingly painful process. As soon as your skin met, the skin over your heart would be cut into a symbolic mark representing your soul-mate. As years would pass, it would darken with age until it was black. It was supposed to represent that true love never dies, because your mark would never leave. _It would become a part of you forever._

Although this phenomena had apparently existed since the beginning of wizard-kind, it was still considered theoretical. It was hard to prove if your mark was real or just a tattoo, because some people would get tattoos to convince others that their relationship was true. It became a way of proving your love to the world, but most people that were _truly_ marked did not share their marks with everyone. It was private, and they liked to keep it a secret with their soul-mate.

Hermione could only conclude that finding your true soul-mate was a rare occurrence, and she hated herself for feeling false hope, but she couldn’t help it. She wanted to find someone that understood her unconditionally, because no one in the muggle-world ever understood her, _not even her parents._ She learned quickly during her first two years at Hogwarts that most people in the wizarding world didn’t understand her, either. Maybe she was always meant to be misunderstood, but that did not stop Hermione from trying to make contact with as many people as possible. All she had was hope.

 

* * *

 

Draco Malfoy loathed Hermione Granger, but not for the right reasons. He knew his reasons weren't justified, even when his father told him otherwise.

She was a muggle-born, _a mudblood._ She was better than him at everything, and that just wouldn’t do.

So it was easy for him to mock her when his father helped send that Hypogriff to his looming execution. The words rolled off his tongue, and his amusement grew as Weasley and Potter stood by and fire grew in her eyes. She was about to explode, and he hoped she _would._

“Look at him blubber! Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?” he asked, “And he’s supposed to be our teacher!”

Harry and Ron finally started to move toward him from their frozen state, but Hermione was faster. Before Draco could process what was happening, she had slapped him across the face.

Draco felt his cheek sting and grabbed his face in disbelief. Crabbe and Goyle didn’t move, and Ron tried to grab Hermione to move her backwards and away from him, but she raised her wand and glared.

But then he felt it, and he knew she felt it, too. His chest was piercing hot, and he could feel blood dripping down his skin. _He was being marked by Hermione Granger._

He saw the tears behind her eyes, but she didn’t drop his gaze. Malfoy wanted to scream because the pain was excruciating, but he didn’t. No one needed to know, because nothing was going to become of this. She made it clear with her silence that she wanted to keep it a secret, too.

“Let’s go!” Draco choked out to Crabbe and Goyle.

They both gave him a confused expression, but they followed after him like they always did. He didn’t look back at her as he ran down the hall clutching his chest, and he hoped Potter and Weasley wouldn’t catch on. Maybe it wasn’t even true. Maybe this was something else.

But he felt it, and he knew she could feel it, too. Their heartbeats had become one, and that’s all he could focus on as he tried to make it back to his common room.

 

* * *

 

It had been three years since Hermione had been marked, and it wasn’t glorious like she imagined it would be. She still could not get over the fact that Draco Malfoy was apparently her one true love.

_He was vile, he was a coward, and he was everything she despised._

There was no way they would ever make it work, and she wasn’t going to try. She figured she could ignore it for the rest of her life, and Draco seemed to think he could, too. But every time they looked at each other across the hall or in class, their marks would darken.

Her constellation was now as dark as his soul, and she knew it would never leave. _Maybe this was punishment, she thought. Maybe she did something wrong in her life before this one._

She always made sure to wear high-cut shirts which gave her the reputation of being a prude, but she knew if anyone saw the mark and knew what the Draco constellation looked like, she would be done for.

She couldn’t help but wonder what mark she had left on his skin, because his mark on her skin made it _obvious_ who her one true love was. She hated him for that, but she figured it was in character for him. He always had to be noticed, even to his own detriment.

What scared Hermione more was that she noticed she was feeling ill recently, and every time she caught sight of Draco, she noticed he was looking ill, too. She figured it was in her head, but when she felt so depressed and that his heartbeat was slow against hers, she realized it must be something more.

She read as many books in the restricted section as possible on what happened when you ignored a mark from your soul-mate, but she couldn’t find anything. It was such a rare occurrence that there was no information on it, only theories. It was frustrating, and it drove her mad.

One day, it became unbearable. She watched as Draco left the Great Hall alone, and she made sure to leave a few seconds later with a good excuse so Harry and Ron would not be suspicious. She used the good old library lie, and it seemed to work every time.

She followed him down the hall, and she could feel his nervous erratic heartbeat against hers. She watched him look both ways as though he was afraid to be caught, and he loosened his tie as he approached the Room of Requirement.

Puzzled, Hermione lifted her brow, and she pressed herself against the wall and out of sight so Draco couldn’t turn around and see her. He looked both ways again before he closed his eyes, and before she knew it, an ornate door appeared.

She watched him slip inside and rubbed her palms together. She had no idea if this would work, but she had to try.

She made sure no one was in the hallway before she closed her eyes. She pressed her hand against her mark and thought only one thing, _“I need to find Draco.”_

When she opened her eyes, she was amazed to see that the same ornate door appeared in front of her.

She sighed from relief, but her heart rate picked up as she slipped through the door. His heartbeat was still erratic, too, and it almost made her feel dizzy feeling both their hearts fight for dominance. _It was as though they were at war._

Draco felt her presence, because he immediately turned around and locked eyes with her. They had made eye contact so many times over the years that Hermione didn’t feel her mark darken anymore, but she knew it was deepening into her flesh.

“Why did you follow me?” He asked her.

He wasn’t even mean; _his voice was fearful._ She watched as his eyes flicked nervously back and forth, and his left hand was fidgeting. She took a step toward him, and he took a step back.

“D-don’t touch me,” he begged, “I don’t know what will happen if we touch again. I have been avoiding you for three years for a reason.”

“I’ve noticed,” she said coolly, “And I wasn’t going to touch you, I was just going to get closer to see if our heartbeats would calm down.”

He seemed to take her words into account and nodded, and she moved closer to him. The pain in her chest started to subside, and she knew he felt it, too.

“Why are we feeling so ill?” she asked him, “Do you think it is cause we are avoiding each other?”

He gulped. He knew something, and he wasn’t telling her.

“No, I don’t know. I don’t think it has anything to do with our connection. I’m just ill lately.”

“Why?”

He blinked a few times, and she watched as he considered telling her the truth, but he lied instead.

“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. You need to leave.”

She took this moment to look around the room they were standing in. It was old and run-down, and she realized the ornate door seemed very out of place. Old Hogwarts supplies were scattered across the floor, and huge piles of furniture were against all the walls.

“Why would you choose this room?” she asked curiously, “It doesn’t seem to fit your taste.”

Rather than answering her, he snapped.

“You need to leave! Right now! I don’t want you here. I don’t ever want to see you. _You are like a sickness I cannot get over!_ I can at least pretend my life is normal without you around! I can at least pretend I have not been marked by a _mudblood_! If you could have just controlled your temper when we were thirteen, none of this would even be happening!”

Hermione would usually fight back, but his words drained her. She had no idea what to say, and she realized she didn’t want to say a word. She blinked a few times, and she felt stupid when she realized her eyes were moist with tears.

She had ran out of the Room of Requirement before she could even collect her thoughts. She collapsed onto the floor in the hallway, and leaned up against the wall to try and regain support, control, _something._ But it didn’t work, all hope was lost, and she began to cry.

 

* * *

 

Draco knew he was causing her pain, because all he could feel inside was turmoil.

His father had turned him into a monster, and he couldn’t escape from the life he had chosen.

When the dark mark had been branded into his skin over a year ago, he felt nothing. That’s when he realized he preferred being marked by Hermione Granger, because at least he had felt _alive._

He was cleaning up blood from the hardwood floors of his living room. Voldemort had just gotten done torturing a former Hogwarts student in there the day before. He knew his mother didn’t have the heart to do it, so he took up the responsibility. His chest ached, but he felt calm feeling Hermione’s heartbeat. It was the only thing lately keeping him sane.

Until suddenly, her heartbeat was no longer calm. It was erratic, _panicked._ He dropped down onto his couch and clutched his chest. He had not felt fear like this in a long time, and he worried about what was happening.

_Had Harry been captured? Was Hermione dying? Was all hope for redemption lost?_

He wanted to cry; _he wanted to scream._ He didn’t get the chance to do either, because his questions were immediately answered.

Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley were now being dragged into his living room. Harry’s face was deformed, but Draco would recognize him anywhere. Hermione was trembling from fear, and Ron was struggling to get out of Greyback’s arms.

“What have you brought for us?” Bellatrix asked.

His aunt’s voice made him shiver, it always did.

“I believe we have Harry Potter here with us. We just need to be sure.”

Draco knew what was about to happen before it did. Bellatrix turned around and smiled at him venomously, and she quickly lurched forward and grabbed Potter from Scabior’s arms.

Draco did not rise from his seat, and he could feel Hermione’s eyes on him. He didn’t dare look up.

Bellatrix brought Harry to him and forced him down on his knees. Harry looked up at Draco, but he didn’t plead for his life. Harry was stronger than he ever was, and he always knew that.

“Well, come on, Draco! Is it him? You must be absolutely sure.”

Rather than lie or tell the truth, Draco simply asked, “What happened to his face?”

“Yeah!” Bellatrix spoke up, “What happened to his face?”

“It appears he caught something in the forest.” Scabior replied.

“Or it was a stinging jinx,” Bellatrix offered, “Was it you, dear?”

She pointed her wand toward Hermione, and that’s when Draco looked up. They made direct eye contact, and Draco was overwhelmed all over again. _He could feel her heartbeat, and she was afraid she was going to die._

“Give me her wand!” Bellatrix ordered, “And we’ll see what her last spell was! But Draco, act coy. You must tell me, is this Harry Potter? If we do not know for sure, he’ll kill us all!”

Draco was still watching Hermione, and he felt his hand turn into a fist. He reluctantly looked down at Harry, and he noticed that his eyes had flicked to his hand.

“It-It’s not him,” Draco finally lied, “I mean, I can’t tell.”

Draco’s father approached him and put his hand on his shoulder, “Are you sure, son?”

He recoiled from his touch, but he did not say anything. All he could focus on was Hermione, and all he could feel was his mark pulsing.

He prayed that his response would set them free so the three of them could be on their way, but it was never that easy.

 _It all happened so quickly._ Bellatrix caught sight of Gryffindor’s sword, and she grabbed Hermione.

Scabior took Harry in his arms again, and Ron was yelling and screaming to let Hermione go. But they were gone before they could even fight back. Wormtail had taken them to the dungeons.

The world seemed to slow down, and all Draco could watch was Hermione being slammed down onto the floor by his aunt.

He had to act fast, he knew he had to do something.

Bellatrix’s knife was now digging into Hermione’s arm, and he listened to her scream bloody terror. His chest was burning in a way he had never experienced before. Not only was she being cut, _she was being cursed._

He dropped to his knees, and he screamed the words before he could even make the conscious decision to do so.

“STOP!” Draco pleaded, “Stop hurting her!”

Bellatrix stopped, and everyone turned around. Scabior and Greyback were nowhere in sight, but Weasley and Potter somehow made it back up from the dungeons with their wands. Weasley was panting, and Harry shot Draco a look of confusion.

Bellatrix got up from the ground and walked towards him.

“Why, my dear nephew, do you care what happens to this little mudblood?”

His eyes flickered to the ground to look at Hermione. Her sobs had quieted down, and she furrowed her brows in confusion up at him. He watched as her arm bled, but he was happy that he could feel her heart slowing down.

Before Draco could give his aunt an answer, Harry and Ron raised their wands and were dueling his entire family. Draco stood still, and he watched as Ron ran over and helped Hermione up.

Suddenly, his old house-elf Dobby appeared and was holding out his hands. The three of them grabbed onto him, and Draco watched as Hermione gave him one last look of confusion. Before they completely apparated away, Bellatrix threw her knife into their apparition.

For a moment, Draco felt fear, but then he knew he had to leave. He took one last look at his family, and he apparated on the spot.

 _And he hid, he hid until the war was over._ Maybe that was the cowardly thing to do, but he couldn’t take it anymore. He was just relieved that he could always feel Hermione’s heart beating, and that's how he knew that his aunt’s knife did not pierce her heart.

 

* * *

 

It was a few weeks after the battle before Hermione wanted to find him. It wasn’t until Harry came clean about being marked by Pansy that she knew she couldn’t hide from the truth anymore.

She wanted to get to know Draco; _she wanted to feel hope again._ She wanted to see what it would be like to really know her one true love.

She told the Weasleys she was going for a walk, but Harry knew the truth. She was going to find Draco. She wasn’t sure if her theory would work, but she didn’t have any other choice.

She got to the end of the Weasleys property and looked back at their house. She hoped that they would later understand and forgive her for what would probably seem like a betrayal.

Her hand trembled as she placed it over her chest, and she took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. She paid attention to his heartbeat, and for once, it was calm against her fingers.

His heart beat was like a metronome, and she apparated on the spot only thinking about how it made her feel.

When she opened her eyes, she was at a small cottage. Hermione could tell someone was home, because smoke was coming out of the chimney.

Her palms were sweating as she rubbed them against her jeans, and she held her breath as she approached the front door. Draco’s heartbeat was clearer now, and that made Hermione relax as she knocked.

She figured three knocks would do it, and she heard feet shuffling coming towards the door.

As it swung open, she caught sight of him. He was wearing muggle jeans, but he was not wearing a shirt. His mark was on full display, and that’s when she finally had her answer as to what it was.

 _It was a book_ , and Hermione chuckled as she stared at it. It was such an obvious thing to represent her, almost as obvious as Draco’s constellation.

They didn’t say anything for a moment, and they just stared at each other. Hermione wasn’t sure what she was more shocked about. The fact that Draco was wearing _muggle_ clothing, or the fact that he was comfortable enough to show his mark to whoever came to his door.

But then she realized that he knew it was her. _He was expecting her._

A relieved smile finally spread across his face, and she had never seem him look so genuine.

Hermione was the one to speak first.

“May I come in?”

He bit his lip, and that made Hermione’s body tingle. Unexpectedly, he reached out his hand to her for her to take.

 _She was afraid_ , but she slipped her fingers through his as he led her inside. Her body ignited, and every nerve-ending was on fire. She knew he could feel it too, because he turned around to look at her. It was as though he could not believe the connection they felt was real.

They sat down on his worn-out sofa, but Draco didn’t let go of her hand. _She didn’t want him to._

“What is this place?” she asked.

She watched him swallow before he replied. Even the way he swallowed was attractive, and her heart sped up. She knew he felt it, but he didn’t comment on it. He didn’t even mock her for it.

“This was the summer home my mother bought to get away from my father on weekends when I was young,” he explained, “I came here after you were tortured at my manor. I couldn’t take it anymore. It’s a miracle no one came looking for me. I suppose it was because Voldemort was only focusing on Harry. I’m so sorry about what my aunt did to you. _It-it’s unspeakable._ ”

She brought her free hand up to his cheek and placed it there hesitantly. He closed his eyes at her touch, and she watched him blush.

“It’s okay,” she reassured him, “You saved me.”

“But I have just been hiding,” he whispered, “You must think I’m a coward.”

“You are a coward,” she agreed, “But you’re smart. Sometimes it’s safer to be a coward. I wish I could have ran away sometimes.”

_“But you didn’t.”_

He looked at her with a look of admiration, and Hermione shyly smiled.

“I don’t want to avoid the truth anymore,” he told her honestly, “Four years has been enough torture for me to realize that I don’t want to live without you. I don’t want to live without this connection.”

Hermione’s eyelashes fluttered, and before she could respond, he leaned down to kiss her.

His lips were soft against hers, and it was better than she could have ever imagined. She never knew that physical contact with another could make her feel so understood. This was the connection she always yearned for, and there was no way she was going to give up on it anytime soon.

Once he pulled away, she traced his mark on his chest.

“I understand now why people don’t think soul-mates are real,” Hermione confessed, “Because it’s all encompassing.”

Draco nodded, “I know, but it feels great to finally feel understood, doesn’t it?”

Hermione couldn’t help but smile.

_Hope was alive that day, and that’s when she realized Draco Malfoy was hope itself._


End file.
